An idea to engineer oceans for energy is making waves

Oct 01, 2018, 4:21 AM EDT

(Source: Powershift2012/flickr)

The field of ocean wave energy has been the poor cousin of renewables and there are a host of factors to blame, from rough environments to frail nature of waves that thwart any effort to wring out energy in an economically sustainable manner.

A team of researchers at China’s Xiamen University, inspired by the idea of “invisibility cloaks,” which work by tricking the light to change course, is working on same principles to maneuver ocean waves, turning them into bigger force, concentrated at convenient spots, notes Popular Science.

If the table-top model could be scaled up for real-world applications, the gamut of renewable energy sources may expand with a dominant addition, writes Physics World.